After a two hour drive, through curvy mountain roads, EJ turns off of the main road. The side road leads up to a two story cabin that has been recently completed.

"How many did you say would be here?" I ask.

"Eight teens..."

"Hey."

He grins. "Fine, eight young adults and four Elders, who will be the trainers."

My head whips around, and I raise an eyebrow. I glance at the cabin and back to EJ. "And we will all sleep in that cabin?"

"There is a lower level with a rec room and four bedrooms."

Nodding, I get out of the car and EJ follows; chirps and thrills from insects and birds greets us. Oak and hickory trees with an occasional pine cover the area. The only place spared is immediately around the cabin. When I look into the woods, only a few rays of light make it through the trees until my gaze spots the edges of a clearing.

"So that's one of the training areas, I assume," I say, pointing in the direction of the clearing.

"Only one of many. We scouted the area before we decided to rent this cabin. You won't have to worry about the diversity of scenery while you train."

I scratch my head. "It all looks the same from here."

"Oh, what's that saying?" He pauses scrunching up his face. Finally, he waves his hand in the air. "Never mind, I can't think of it at the moment. Anyway, do you always take things at face value?"

"No. Almost never."

He slaps me on the back before moving towards the back of the car. "Then, why do so here?" he asks over his shoulder, while opening the trunk.

I didn't think I brought many bags, but with mine and EJ's we are having to tote them over our shoulders and covering our arms—anywhere a bag would fit. Why make two trips from the car to the cabin when you can make one?

Climbing up on the porch, we stumble into the cabin when a woman, her graying blonde hair pulled into a bun, opens the door.

"EJ, you're just in time." She says while engulfing him in a hug.

"Good to see you, too. Mia, this is Dominic Young. Dominic met Mia Gwerder, one of our Elders and trainers."

She looks up at me with a gentle smile. "Nice to meet you, Dominic."

"You too, ma'am." I go to try to extend a hand to shake, but I receive a hug instead.

She turns to EJ. "You always do have great timing. Both of you get in here and wash your hands while I plate up dinner."

The mention of dinner makes my stomach growl, reminding me that EJ and I haven't eaten a meal since breakfast - snack foods in the car don't count.

She looks between EJ and I and then to our hands and arms full of bags. "Just drop the bags in the living room. You sound like you need a good meal."

We start walking toward the living room, and EJ calls out to the retreating woman. "What are we having tonight?"

"Steak and baked potatoes."

"You're too good to me, Mia. Why didn't I marry you?"

She chuckles. "You charmer. Analiese is the perfect woman for you, and Adank is the only man for me."

"If you say so," he says, pecking her on the cheek before going into the kitchen to wash his hands and help.

"Can I help?" I ask.

"After you wash your hands, you can take those plates and silverware over to the table for me, Ängeli."

"No problem," I say as I come up next to EJ and bump him out of my way, which only gets me water flying into my face.

When Mia yells down the stairs that dinner is ready, I stop. Wait, my cousin is here somewhere; how could I forget that? Setting the last plate down, a door opens behind me. When I turn, a face similar to mine greets me. Our green eyes collide, but our bodies are rooted in place.

A soft voice calls out from behind this new face. "Jonah, what's wrong?"

Brown eyes covered by black curls peeks out from behind this guy.

A warm smile welcomes me as a shorter girl comes out from behind Jonah. "Oh, you have to be Dominic. I'm Carleigh, this dork's girlfriend."

I nod.

"Not talkative much?" She asks.

"No. It's not that." I stop and look at this guy again. "I just didn't expect him to look so much like me."

"You are cousins, are you not? That was what we were told. Jonah has a cousin named Dominic Young. You are Dominic Young, right?" She asks with a smile. She looks back at Jonah and giggles. "Maybe you two need a moment. Let's go to the table and eat. Maybe the fog in your guys' brains will clear by the time dinner is over." She turns her head and holds out her hand. Jonah takes it, and she drags him to the table, with me falling behind.

We may not look like twins, but we come close.

Half way through our meal, it seems that Jonah is thinking clearer, because he has a whole lot of questions. He gets so excited that he talks around bites of food, and I don't have time to fully answer one question before I am bombarded by new ones.

After dinner is cleared, EJ helps me take our bags downstairs. There are four bedrooms, but two are already occupied. The others have queen bunk beds, and I take the one furthest away from the rec room. I'm hoping this room stays a single occupancy.

Carleigh is exiting one of the other rooms when I come back out. I guess she is staying in the room with Jonah. It's none of my business, but I'm surprised the Elders are letting them share a room.

The next day, after lunch, new people arrive. One is older with black hair, but the other seems to be about my age.

"Thanks for finding and bringing Tanner to us, Luca."

This new guy laughs. "Glad to help. Can you imagine Nonno or any of the other Elders learning to drive?"

Learning to drive? Are these islands not technologically advanced?

EJ smirks. "No. I remember our lessons. We barely made it through the first few days without giving the instructor a heart attack or wrecking those poor vehicles."

I clear my throat.

EJ looks up sheepishly. "Where are my manners? Sorry, everyone, this is Luca Leonetti. His grandfather, or nonno as he calls him, is the oldest Elder on the Counsel."

This guy, Luca, pipes up, his voice tinged with some sort of accent. "And this is Tanner Orson, a potential Protector."

The new guy, Tanner, gasps, while a hand covers his heart. "You wound me. I thought we were friends, cugino."

"Then you wound too easy..." He pauses turning his body to an odd angle. "...principessa."

Luca takes off out the door with Tanner on his heels. They wrestle in the yard until Mia stomps to the door from the kitchen.

"Herrgott. Nöd all Tassli im Schrank."

"English, Mia," EJ says.

"Are they out of their minds?" she huffs. "Boys! That's enough! Come clean up for dinner."

After washing my hands, I head for the table where in the center are several casserole dishes filled with food to be eaten.

"Älplermagronen, Mia?"

"I had to cook at least one dish from the home country to introduce to these kids." Mia explains.

When I scoop it onto the plate, I see macaroni and potatoes covered in a cheese sauce with maybe some bacon. A bite tells me there is something else in it I can't place.

My face must have an odd look to it, because Mia answers my question.

"It's apples, Ängeli. My grandparents and my husband's were from Switzerland."

I shake my head, swallowing the bite in my mouth. "Different, but it's good." I smile.

"Eat up then. Everyone will need all of their strength soon."

"Has the grand-baby come yet?" EJ asks looking at Luca.

Grand-baby? This man looks like he's in his late thirties, maybe.

Luca cranes his head to look at me. "I'm 47."

Heat rises up in my face. "Oh sorry. Usually my thoughts don't leak out aloud."

"I wonder what other thoughts you have?" He winks and laughs.

What is it will all the humor and light-heartedness? I'm not used to this, as a general rule, if I'm not around my friends.

"By the way, my oldest, Jakob, is twenty-two. His wife is expecting any day. I didn't want to be a nonno this young, but what can you do when two people are so in love that they forget themselves," Luca adds.

Dinner is finished and cleaned up before everyone breaks into groups. EJ, Mia and Luca head to the chairs on the back porch, while the rest of us go downstairs. Tanner excuses himself to unpack, and Carleigh has developed a headache, so she goes to lay down.

We aren't even seated before Jonah starts talking again.

"You're special, you know?" he says grinning.

"How so?"

"Carleigh usually never opens up to strangers."

"Well, she seems friendly enough to me.Why wouldn't she open up to others?"

He looks at the bedroom door before continuing. "She doesn't want people to find out about her past."

I stop and look at him to see if he's serious, but no smile cracks his face.

"Is it really that bad?"

"Yes and no." he says while moving his head right than left.

Stopping, he looks at the bedroom door again. "Her adoptive parents were just neglectful. Like really neglectful. She would have to feed, wash and dress herself. She would have to mend all her clothing. Eventually, she would have to put together old clothes and design new ones. The easiest was for her to make skirts, but, hey, I love her in skirts."

"Didn't her adoptive parents buy her new clothes?"

"Rarely. When her mom was sober, sometimes. At first I'd try to sneak her clothes, until my mom caught me one day. I had to tell her something, and when I did, she was furious. I had to beg her not to call the State on Carleigh's parents. If the State would have come, they'd have taken her away and separated us. After that Mom bought her clothes, when she could. Eventually, she just moved in with my family."

All I can do is grin at him.

"No. No, we didn't share a room. But we are in a committed relationship." He looks around the room, once again, and bends his head closer to me. "I plan on asking her to marry me."

I move back so I can look at him directly. "What? You're so young."

"We've basically been together since we were eight. I think that's long enough to know that I want to be with her forever."

"Okay. If you say so." I slap his arm. "I've just never, personally, felt a connection like that, but I'm happy for you."

Before I get a chance to ask Jonah about his adoptive parents, Carleigh wakes up from her nap and joins us. At least, he seems to have a good relationship with his mom. It must be nice.

--------------------------------------------------------------

[A/N]:

Luca and Tanner are using Italian terms of endearment.

cugino - male cousin

principessa - "princess"

Nonno - grandfather

Mia is speaking Swiss German.

Ängeli (little angel)

Herrgott - dear lord

Nöd all Tassli im Schrank - Not all cups in your cupboard [you're crazy]